The BC Conservative Party has announced a commitment to replace the aging Ironworkers Memorial Bridge, citing the need for expanded capacity to alleviate traffic congestion and improve public transit services.
The party said it would commit to a new Ironworkers Memorial Bridge with expanded capacity for both cars and public transit services. Additionally, they will also immediately reverse plans to remove the Main St. eastbound dedicated to local traffic.
“We believe in building, not bottlenecking,” the party said in the release, highlighting their infrastructure plan as a common-sense approach to improving BC’s transportation systems. The proposed new Ironworkers Memorial Bridge would include expanded capacity for both vehicles and public transit, aimed at easing congestion on one of the province’s busiest routes.
Key Infrastructure Commitments
In addition to the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge, the BC Conservatives outlined several other transportation projects they plan to prioritize, including:
- George Massey Tunnel Replacement: The party vows to expedite this delayed project, ensuring a new high-capacity crossing is delivered as quickly as possible.
- Okanagan Lake Bridge: Working with Kelowna and West Kelowna, the Conservatives plan to identify a preferred route for a new bridge and include it in the provincial capital plan, with a target completion date no later than 2032.
- Taylor Bridge Replacement: The party promises to replace the aging bridge across the Peace River, a key transportation link in northern BC.
- Kamloops Red Bridge Rebuild: In response to recent infrastructure challenges, the Conservatives pledge to rebuild the Red Bridge, accusing the NDP of inaction, even after the Lytton disaster.
- Highway Upgrades: The plan includes expanding Highway 1 to six lanes between Langley and Chilliwack, upgrading outdated exits and interchanges, and improving dangerous intersections on Highway 19 in Nanaimo.
- Patullo Bridge Expansion: The Conservatives are committed to expanding the new Patullo Bridge to six lanes, a design they claim the NDP refuses to implement despite its potential for easing traffic flow.
Opposition to Tolls and New Taxes
The BC Conservatives have also promised to oppose any form of road tolls or distance-based driving taxes, which they claim are being considered by the NDP. The party emphasized that they would never implement such measures, arguing that drivers are already overburdened by existing costs.
The Conservatives’ infrastructure plan reflects their belief that investing in transportation is essential for the province’s economy, and they say their approach will ensure that BC is built for the future, not hindered by bottlenecks
Building roads is not building for the future but rather engineering thinking of the last century. What are the costs and in 5 years there will be more costs. Typical short term thinking by politicians with band aids that will fall off in a few days. We need thinking for the future of fifty or one hundred years. We need options for us car users.
The only sustainable path forward is to address the infrastructure deficit, be it in transportation, housing, education, health care, sewage management, highways, recreation/parks, etc.
We need more jobs in areas that people live in, not more traffic.